Vendors at Sittwe Myoma Market have been given notifications saying the market will be placed on lockdown if they fail to abide by Covid-19 regulations, the sellers said.

A vendor who asked for anonymity said market officials distributed the notifications to vendors on Thursday afternoon.

The notification instructed vendors to wear masks, to use the designated entrance and exit to the market, to array their goods within the designated area, to limit selling from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and to ensure a supply of hand sanitizer is available to customers, the vendor said.

“The notification does not include the regulations’ date of enactment,” the vendor said.

Ma Nwe Nwe, a seller of consumer goods, said the terms laid out in this week’s notification letter are more convenient than previous Covid-19 regulations. Still, she added that she is not used to wearing a face mask for a prolonged period and struggles with it.

“Most of the buyers do not wear masks. Officials come and distribute masks at the market,” she said.

U Hla Thein, a member of the Arakan State military council, on July 5 said the council was distributing masks and providing public awareness activities to increase mask-wearing in the market.

“We will later take action against those who do not wear masks,” he said.

As of July 8, a total of 619 coronavirus cases were reported in Arakan State during the ongoing third wave of the pandemic, with six deaths attributed to the disease.